Kale & Buckwheat Salad

Some people are a little taken aback when I say I’m eating or cooking with buckwheat as they think it is related to wheat, but fear not, it isn’t, as it’s not a grass and is actually related to rhubarb…who knew?! The person who called it buckwheat probably had no idea the confusion it would cause nowadays!

Buckwheat is my gluten free alternative to couscous. Whilst some people aren’t big couscous fans when they can eat gluten, it is one of the things I miss most. Quinoa is lovely but just doesn’t come close enough in texture to giant couscous (Israeli couscous) for me so I was loving life the day I discovered buckwheat.

I cook buckwheat the way I do rice – one part buckwheat to 2 parts water. Place in a pan and once it is up to the boil, cover with a lid and reduce to simmer for about 12 minutes until the water has been absorbed.

I think this salad will be featuring a lot over my Summer as it is so adaptable with what veggies and dressings you could use. Roast veggies with it would be lovely.

Place the shredded kale in a large bowl with the juice of half a lemon. Massage the kale with the lemon juice until it starts breaking down, this takes about 6-8 minutes so put your favourite tunes on and have a wee boogie whilst massaging the kale!

The photos below show the kale before and after massage.

Once you’ve massaged the kale, set aside as you will need to strain it through a sieve to remove the excess water it will produce.

In a separate bowl combine the tomatoes, buckwheat, cucumber, herbs and give a good stir.

Place the kale in a fine mesh sieve and strain the kale by squeezing it with your hand. Place the strained kale in the bowl with the other ingredients and give everything a good stir to combine. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Drizzle over some of the dressing onto the salad and stir.

Place the avocado on top of the salad just before serving.

The salad and dressing both store well in airtight containers in the refrigerator.